By Jed Lanyon
Crime in the Yarra Ranges jumped 3.4 per cent compared to the previous year according to the latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA).
There were 6370 criminal incidents in the year to 31 December compared to 6163 in 2019.
Lilydale led the way as the suburb worst impacted by crime recording 20.2 per cent of all Yarra Ranges crime with 1291, incidents up from 1196 the year prior.
Lilydale was followed by Mooroolbark (830), Chirnside Park (551), Kilsyth (437), and Healesville (305), with Lilydale and Chirnside Park experiencing an increase in crime.
Of the 6370 incidents, 40.2 per cent remained unsolved, while 26.5 per cent resulted in no charges being laid compared to 33.3 per cent where charges were laid.
Public health and safety offences was the most common offence with 713 incidents compared to just one the year prior, thanks to Covid-19 related breaches under the Chief Medical Officer’s directions.
The second most common offence was theft from a motor vehicle (664 incidents), criminal damage (504) and then breaches of family violence orders (499).
Crime in the Yarra Ranges was most likely to occur in and around the home with the house, driveway/carport and the front yard making up three of the top five locations for incidents of crime.
The second most common location for crime was streets/paths/laneways which saw a 59.1 per cent increase year-to-year.
Across the state, The number of criminal incidents recorded by Victoria Police in the year to 31 December 2020 was 403,689, up 0.3 per cent from 402,318 incidents recorded in the same period last year.
The number of offences recorded by Victoria Police was 548,354. This is up 2.3 per cent from 535,952 offences recorded in the same period last year.
CSA Chief Statistician Fiona Dowsley said, “changes in mobility and everyday activity during Covid-19 restrictions have influenced crime trends, with decreases recorded in steal from a retail store and other property related offences, while the introduction of new Covid-19-related offences have seen an increase in alleged offenders processed by Victoria Police. There has also been a reduction in the number of recorded victims of crime.”
In 2020 there were 37,505 offences recorded by police for breaches of Covid-19 Chief Health Officer Directions. These were recorded against 26,497 unique Covid-19 offenders, most of whom (92 per cent) received a Penalty Infringement Notice.
One in five alleged offenders who breached the Chief Health Officer Directions breached these Directions on multiple occasions.
The pandemic, resulting restrictions and changes in mobility and everyday life impacted on Victorian crime reported to police. There was an 8 per cent decrease in offences reported to police in the year ending December 2020 (from 538,454 to 497,704 offences 2020 excluding Covid-19 related offences).
There was also a decline in the number of offences committed from March 2020, most notably for property and deception offences such as burglary/break and enter and theft and these crime trends had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. While the impact of offences committed during the pandemic was different for other crime types, there were increases in family violence related common assault and drug use and possession offences.
Overall, there was a 9 per cent increase in family violence incidents reported to police in 2020. This study found that the actual average monthly numbers for family incidents were higher than forecasted and the numbers of current partner and parent/child relationships in family incidents was higher than forecasted.
For more information visit: https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au
